Episode 131

GLENN’S SHOWNOTES

The key change is to abandon the idea of trying to stop pirates from copying software. Instead, Microsoft thinks software should be everywhere — publishers could even distribute some games on P2P networks like BitTorrent. But to play, gamers would need to purchase a license online. That license becomes portable, letting the gamer play wherever they are.

Electronic Arts (ERTS) is bringing its big-gun games to the iPhone, including Tiger Woods PGA Tour (golf), FIFA (soccer), Madden (football), NBA Live (basketball), American Idol, The Sims, Need for Speed, and a new version of Spore.

Rumors have suggested that Apple is working on a premium gaming section of its App Store, where high-end games could sell for $20.

Our question is, how can we help? What can Twitter offer for a fee that will improve the experience? Will it be account verification? Will it be lightweight analytics? Will there be opportunities for introducing customers to businesses on Twitter.

Twitter will remain free for all to use—individuals and companies alike. We are thinking about simple business products that enhance and encourage what is already happening.

Californian technology firm OnLive is poised to launch a service that streams videogames over the Internet, meaning players can avoid buying expensive consoles or packaged software.

OnLive ended seven years of “stealth” development late Tuesday by announcing the system should launch in the United States by the end of the year.

The firm is building a library of videogame software on servers that players reach over broadband Internet by using mini-programs in home computers or OnLive MicroConsoles connected to television sets.

“By putting the value back into the games themselves and removing the reliance on expensive, short-lived hardware, we are dramatically shifting the economics of the industry.”

Major videogame makers Ubisoft, Atari, Warner Brothers, and Electronic Arts are among the studios providing PC versions of hot titles for the OnLive service previewed at a major Game Developers Conference (GDC) in San Francisco.

“We will launch in the United States and move into other countries as fast as we can,” OnLive engineer Ronn Brashear said as Carlos Lievano played Ubisoft’s ‘Prince of Persia’ at GDC Wednesday using a MicroConsole.

Lievano, a graduate student from Columbia who is studying for a Masters degree in business at a California university, said OnLive promises to be a hit in developing countries.

“This will be huge for the distribution of videogames,” Lievano said. “People that don’t have the money for expensive equipment just have to get Internet service set up and can play any game they want.”

The videogame world is currently dominated by consoles made by Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo.